HRW Criticizes Bin Salman’s Continued Detention of Saudi Women Activists

Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, on Friday, criticized the Saudi crown prince’s arrest of women activists who demanded reform.

“A reminder that the Saudi crown prince has let women drive while detaining the women who sought the right to drive,” Roth wrote in a post published on his Twitter page.

“Permissible reform for MBS must be a matter of royal grace, not popular demand,” he added, indicating that those who are calling for reform are being arrested, even if the regime is forced to respond to these demands.

Earlier this month, the United Nations called for international pressure on Saudi Arabia to release women activists in defense of women’s rights.

About two years ago, the Saudi authorities arrested at least 12 prominent women’s rights activists, as part of a wider campaign against the opposition that included clerics and intellectuals.

Detained activists have accused the Saudi authorities of torturing and assaulting them sexually, while the authorities claimed that the detainees were suspected of harming the interests of the state and offering support to hostile elements abroad.

Their trial drew international criticism, especially in the aftermath of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 by Saudi officers at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul.

The families of some activists, including Lujain Al-Hathloul, expressed their concerns earlier this year after families were unable to contact them in prison for several weeks.

Source: Websites.